There Is No Art, Only Artists
Art Historian E. H. Gombrich opens his popular The Story of Art with the curious concession: “There really is no such thing as Art. There are only artists” (Gombrich, 1984, p. 4)
Indeed, artworks are expressions that reveal much about artists. A painting of a beautiful woman or a peaceful landscape, for example, betrays what the painter believes about beauty, women, nature, and peace. Art audiences, in identifying with artists and their artworks, are also involved in important relationships. It’s with people, and not primarily their paintings, that art derives its great importance. Art is ultimately about artists and art audiences. Christians appreciate art because we care about them.
Art is valuable, but only insofar as it highlights human experience. Skill and technique are encouraged, not necessarily for mastery, but for solving the artist’s problem: expression. Artworks that don’t connect or communicate are only decoration.